Membership Drive

MAY MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: HELP US GROW - HUG DRIVE - ILEA IS A HUG, NOT A HANDSHAKE

ANY NEW MEMBER WHO JOINS THE ILEA COMMUNITY IN MAY WILL RECEIVE 14 MONTHS OF MEMBERSHIP FOR THE PRICE OF 12

ILEA LIVE

Join us at ILEA Live!

ILEA Live is more than a conference - it's a movement that will help you maximize your potential as a live events professional.

Produced by members of the ILEA community, ILEA Live is about the business of experiential creativity. It is an educational and collaborative experience for creative event professionals to strengthen their creative output, sharpen their business strategies and find inspiration along the event horizon. Register now!

Monthly Program

Join Kevin Molesworth, CSEP, owner of Brass Tacks Events and a renowned international speaker, at our May program which will be held at The Hutton House a premier, luxurious event venue located just minutes west of downtown Minneapolis. Join us for a delicious lunch catered by Atlas Grill, and hear 5 basic objections to any sale and how everyone can become a great salesperson with a few lessons in psychology and understanding client perspectives.

About our speaker: Kevin Molesworth, CSEP, is one of the most sought after event designers as well as an award-winning theatrical director and producer. In 2007 he moved to Austin, TX and soon after founded Brass Tacks Events, an event production and design firm now with offices in Austin, TX and Philadelphia, PA. Read more...

Star Awards Recap

Program Recap

Lori Hurley

A Touch of Magic, Inc.

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff!

Participating the recent Master Series roundtable last month was a great opportunity! The theme was "Sharing Your Big Game Experience". The discussion included the highlights of the recent Superbowl LII invasion, as well as some of the challenges of working an event like that. As an entertainment vendor in the event planning industry, mine was one of the "exclusive" businesses chosen to appear in the diversity directory produced by the Superbowl Host Committee. I, like several of you, had jumped through many hoops to qualify for this chance to have our business visible to the "world's largest stage"... the NFL Superbowl. While none of us were promised any major contracts through participation, there was so much buildup around the event, that it seemed natural that the local vendors, in particular the small diversity-owned businesses, would be the first choice to hire.

My experience of the big game itself was less than spectacular. For all of the hype, it turns out that we experienced business as usual, and February was a good, and normal month for the artists and entertainers we provide for corporate and family events. I was relieved (and somewhat validated) to learn that most people attending the Master Series had an experience which was comparable to mine. The general consensus, from my perspective, appeared to be that the Superbowl (like other major events of its caliber) is like a traveling circus. It brought many of its own vendors and contacts. Was it a boost for local vendors in the events industry? Yes... for some, but not nearly at the level that many of us were led to believe. And while the contracts may have been a bit of a disappointment, the best part of the year-long preparation for me was in the networking which took place among vendors, including my new participation in ILEA. The roundtable discussion was a choice forum to share our experiences and to prepare for the next circus which comes to town. I am looking forward to future discussions like it!